Andrew could lose Falklands medal, along with his rank
It’s understood that Britain’s Ministry of Defence has been instructed to work at pace to enact the change, made on the advice of the King.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, the former prince, could be stripped of his campaign medal from the Falklands conflict after Buckingham Palace refused to rule it out.
The defence secretary on Sunday confirmed that Andrew would be stripped of his honorary rank of vice-admiral, his last remaining honorary military title.
John Healey said that his department was “working to remove” the rank, which Andrew was awarded on his 55th birthday in 2015.
It is understood that the Ministry of Defence has been instructed to work at pace to enact the change, which is made on the advice of the King.
Healey said: “In general, the government’s been guided by the decisions and judgments the King has made.
“In defence, it’s exactly the same. And we’ve seen Andrew surrender the honorary positions he’s had throughout the military and, guided again by the King, we are working now to remove that last remaining title of vice-admiral that he has.”
Ministry of Defence sources said they expected the process of removing Andrew’s rank to be completed “in short order”.
However, the defence secretary would not comment on whether Andrew would be able to keep his medals, including the campaign medal he received for his service in the Falklands conflict, but said the Ministry of Defence would be “guided by the decisions the King makes”.
Buckingham Palace declined to rule out Andrew being forced to return his medal, which was presented to him after serving as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot in the Falklands conflict.
Andrew, 65, left the Royal Navy in the rank of commander. However, he received a promotion under a policy whereby working members of the royal family are promoted in line with peers after they leave military service.
The former Duke of York was stripped of all other titles, including that of prince, by the King last week following revelations about his friendship with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
He has also been ordered to give notice at Royal Lodge, his 30-room home on the Windsor Estate.
While logistical considerations mean that his move it not “imminent”, a royal source said Andrew was expected to leave the property “within weeks rather than months”.
It means that Andrew could move to a new home in Sandringham before Christmas. In the coming weeks, Royal Lodge will be assessed for “dilapidation”, a source added.
His lease agreement with the Crown Estate stipulated that Andrew was contracted to carry out regular maintenance on the property to “repair, renew, uphold, clean and keep in repair and where necessary rebuild”.
Under the “planned maintenance guide” set out in the contract, he was legally bound to clean the external paintwork and paint the walls “with two coats of paint” every five years from 2008 onwards.
It means that this was due to have been completed in 2023, although it is unclear whether that work was carried out.
Andrew had also committed to “paint with at least two coats of paint and to paper, polish, decorate and otherwise appropriately treat” the interior walls every seven years from 2010 onwards. This is due to be completed this year.
However, reports from those who had visited the property suggest Royal Lodge was beginning to look “tired”.
A source said that the Crown Estate would “analyse any dilapidation” on the property, deducting the cost of repairs from any rebate Andrew may be due.
Andrew spent more than £7m on renovations and repairs after taking Royal Lodge over from this late grandmother, the Queen Mother, who died in 2002.
Any refund owing to Andrew is calculated on a sliding scale, decreasing with each year up until 2028.
It means that while he is theoretically entitled to a lump sum compensation payout from the Crown Estate of around £500,000, there is no guarantee that he will receive anything.
A source said: “There will be a dilapidation analysis to assess what is required in the way of repairs and what compensation, if any, will be calculated after that.”
Andrew Morton, Princess Diana’s biographer, suggested that Andrew would be more likely to relocate abroad than remain in exile on his brother’s private Norfolk estate of Sandringham.
Morton told Times Radio: “There’s a group of people who will probably support him and I would predict that within, if we’re speaking about this time next year, Andrew will probably live somewhere abroad.”
Meanwhile, Kensington Palace confirmed that the Prince and Princess of Wales had moved into nearby Forest Lodge, a property described as the family’s “forever home”.
The Times
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